For a gold ring with a ruby set in it. On a NWA flight @ 1997 from MSP-MSY, took it off to wash my hands in the bathroom and left it there. Sad part is that it was a ring given to my father by his parents that he gave on to me. I couldn't bear to tell him what happened.

Never take your ring off an airplane bathroom.

So in my anecdotal experience, I have been impressed with Delta in this regard.

In February I left my iPad in a seat back pocket. Didn't realize it until the next day, which was too late to get it back from the airport (I was told they send everything to the central lost and found in ATL if it is not claimed within 12-24 hours). I filled out the form online, and it took a little longer than I expected (about 1.5-2 weeks later), but they found it and sent me an email.

Last month my sig other left a neck pillow on board a flight back from AMS. They would not let us back on the plane, but an employee walked back to our seats and retrieved it.

And not quite the same thing, but yesterday during the boarding process, someone came onto the plane to give the woman in front of me her wallet, which she did not realize she left in the Sky Club. She barely muttered thank you. Fast forward about thirty minutes, when taxiing, we ran over something on the runway and damaged a tire, and had to go back to the gate for repairs. She was yelling at her bf/husband that Delta is the worst.

Regarding the post about turning everything into a third party vendor at the airport. I guess that is great if the item is found and turned into the airport where you last saw it. But in my situation, there is a chance the iPad was not found by the ground crew at my final destination. It could have been found a flight or two later, and how would I know that my airplane went to JFK and that is where it was turned in? I like the idea that items found on Delta planes go to Delta lost and found.

I think things get turned in often. I also think few items are recovered. If you don't get it right away then it goes to the pit in Atlanta.

Heck, I had a metal Medallion luggage tag that had my Skymiles number on it, that got eaten by the seattle baggage machinery. Delta, unprompted, hammered it back into shape and mailed it to me! Huge kudos to you, random Sea-Tac baggage handler. ^

This thread reminds me of a classic Delta memory. I left a suit in a garment bag in the front closet on a flight into JFK. I filled out the form and called Delta and the connecting airport once I realized--they didn't have it. Had a flight a day or two later from JFK and checked at the Delta lost and found there. The woman there was really nice, let me look through all the suits they had (a lot!), and it was not there. I was like "what do you think I should do?" She said "give up forever."

Everything I've ever left on a plane has been returned, laptop, iPad (twice), headphones, basically I'm just not learning my lesson.

Several years ago I forgot my phone after deplaning here at DTW. Went back to the gate about 20 minutes later and a GA looked on the plane but couldn't find it. A few days later I inquired at DL baggage claim, and they told me I could look thru the big plastic tray of phones to see if mine was there. It was!

Something else to keep in mind is that where the item gets turned in can depend on where the plane ends its day. Some items aren't found until the overnight cleaners discover them.

One time I realized I left my sunglasses on a flight (DTW-EWR). Luckily I realized it 2 minutes after I have deplaned. I immediately turned around and went back to the gate, talked to a GA there (the plane was still deplaning at the time). She told me that after we wait until everyone have gotten off the plane, she would allow me to go back and get it. The pilots were shocked to see a passenger trying to get back on the plane, but I told them that I left my sunglasses on seat 11A and they let me on the plane by myself to retrieve it

I found a pair of Bose QC15 headphones on a flight SEA-FAI a couple of years ago. (At that time they were still a recent model.) They were wedged between the seat in front of me and the sidewall. No identifying information on them, but I gave them to the FA.

I left an iPad on a flight that landed at MIA. I pinged the iPad and eventually got a call from GA Hector. He kept the iPad and met me at the check in counter on my 530am return flight 2 days later. Delta got that one right!

Left my jacket at SJU on the plane and realized it a couple hours later. Jacket was picked up in the baggage office.

Also left a power bank in the back seat at DTW. Realized it after I stepped off the plane and gate agent went back to the plane to retrieve it for me.

Several months ago on a flight to Atlanta I left a book I had checked out of the DeKalb County, GA, library. I didn't bother to contact Delta, but about a week later I checked my library account and saw that the book had been returned.

If you're ever bored (or stuck) in Huntsville, AL, drive 20 miles East to Scottsboro and visit the left luggage store where all this stuff gets sold off by the airlines. You will be left with 2 indelible thoughts:

1. How the hell did you forget something this random?
2. What on earth were you doing taking it on an airplane in the first place?

A truly bizarre selection of property...

Left a unique corporate logo windbreaker on a plane or in Sky Club at ATL. Filed lost and found claim - nothing. Called Sky Clubs and ATL L&F: nothing. Oh well.

I have a bad back, I also have a bad habit of forgetting my back pillow. I was very surprised that at least in SLC they ship a box of forgotten items daily to ATL for sorting before it goes to Alabama.

That is every 24 hours a box is packed up and shipped out. I was very surprised at the frequency as it used to be a week. With the last forgetful moment it was my flight into SLC where I live and I had another flight in a coupe of days. So I planned to go out to the airport a couple of days latter and check the lost and found.

One can not call - one has to go in person or it goes to ATL. So I went out and the box was already packed up so the guy had open it up but no luck. A trip for naught. Insult to injury I had to pay for the !@#$% 20 minutes of parking.